It took Tance Hughes six weeks of college to realize he didn't belong there.

The Vidalia native had already started his first business by the time he went off to LSU. His plan was to continue running his screen printing operation while he earned a business degree.

Until one evening he attended a seminar where Todd Graves, founder of Raising Cane's, spoke.

The more Graves talked about how people thought his concept of a chain of restaurants serving chicken fingers would never work, the more Hughes was convinced he could take an unconventional path to success, too.

"That was the moment I was inspired to leave school and just go on and knock this thing out," Hughes said. "That was really the turning point for me, and a week or so later I was headed home."

With revenues of $3.8 million in 2016, Southern Designs has grown more than 800 percent over a three-year period.

"It has grown really quickly," Hughes said. "The challenge for us is keeping up with it. With high growth comes a lot of fiscal demands and needs. We've been selling stuff at a higher pace than our guys can keep up with."

The three companies that make up Southern Designs manufacture a variety of products, as well as services including as printing, laser cutting and powder coating.

But what has driven the spectacular growth is a product line of personalized signs and decor. Hughes, who is still just 26, made the risky call to go all-in on that side of the business about three years ago.

"We knew we couldn't do too many things," he said. "We wanted to be great at whatever we were going to be."

At the company's website, customers can design and order products with their name or initials, a favorite slogan — the possibilities are endless. They can also order products from about 25 licensed colleges.

In addition to selling direct online, Southern Designs is growing its business supplying retailers, including recently signing a deal to supply Wal-Mart.